Qualcomm has quad-core system processors coming in the Snapdragon S4 family, mainly targeting tablets. Together with Windows 8 the company also targets Intel’s ultrabook, and also the fact Qualcomm has revised the 64-bit support for the Snapdragon processors.
There is only months to go before ARM manufacturers will get an open market to compete with PC builders with the arrival Windows 8. This will be the first time Intel and AMD with the closed x86-architecture will get serious competition. Qualcomm with its Snapdragon S4 with four Krait cores will set the sight for ultrathin computers. Qualcomm’s senior VP Rob Chandok says that computers with its circuits will be lighter than Intel Ultrabooks, which we presume will be ebcause of the lower energy consumption.
Qualcomm’s quad-core processors are expected to consume too much power to fit in smartphones, but we can expect these to show up in tablets and computers, even if there might be exceptions with slightly lower clocks than the reference 2 GHz. The performance of Snapdragon S4 will be lower than what Intel has to offer, but it will compensate with longer battery time and thinner/lighter formfactors. Qualcomm also believes its integrated LTE/4G will help them on to the market for ultrahin computers.
Chandok also mentions 64-bit-supports, which will allow for more than 4 GB RAM. He could not say when these processors would appear, but the latest instruction set from ARM; ARMv8 supports 64-bit. Besides giving them extra leverage against PCs, but also make the ARM architecture more attractive for servers and supercomputers.
Souce: PCWorld
